Reading Festival organisers quizzed over waste

The organisers of one of the UK's largest music festivals have been grilled over the tonnes of waste and tents that are left behind each year.

Reading Festival attracts tens of thousands of people to Little John's Farm in the Berkshire town on the August bank holiday weekend every year.

The event takes place with the blessing of Reading councillors, who in turn receive a report each year allowing them to scrutinise the organisers.

Festival Republic, which runs Reading and Leeds festivals, reported the 2024 edition saw a reduction in the amount of waste left on the previous year.

The organisers said 702 tonnes of waste was produced, down from 780 tonnes in 2023.

Of that, 71 tonnes of tents were left last year compared to the 80 tonnes left in 2023.

Labour councillor Jan Gavin told a meeting it was "really heartening" to see what she called the "improvements in the sustainability elements of the festival".

Referencing images of the site showing hundreds of abandoned tents, she said: "It seemed to me that there was a vast number of tents left, as there is year after year."

Ms Gavin also requested an estimate for the number of people responsible for leaving their tents.

As well as reviewing last year's festival, councillors also pushed organisers to encourage festival-goers to be more responsible.

"One of the most pernicious misconceptions is that if you leave your tent, it will be donated, reused, it will go to a homeless person," Labour councillor Adele Barnett-Ward said.

A Festival Republic representative told the meeting it would be "difficult to count" the number of people leaving their tents behind, with tracking being a time consuming process.

"The message is front and foremost 'take your tent home'," the representative said.

"We do really work hard to say you have to physically take it home with you, or hand it in to our donation points."

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